Checking things off my list!

Another picture of yesterday morning sunrise.

Today’s wasn’t that nice. We are starting to get serious about leaving Thursday. Lots of little things we need to do before we leave the big city. But we started the day off just sightseeing again. Drove out along the Malecón past the fishermen. Saw everyone in line buying fresh off the boat fish.

So we stopped to watch some of the boats come in.  That is a frigate’s wing.

The boys from the beach taking the wheels out into the water to put under the boat.

Getting them positioned under the boat. Guy in blue pants is standing on one wheel; boy in striped pants is hold other wheel.

Then every pitches in to pull it to shore and keep the wheels under it until it is way up on the sand.

This boat has been in a while and the fish are getting sorted and gutted. See the Pelicans waiting.

All kinds of birds wanting their share. Seagulls, Pelicans and the frigates.

Fresh fish for sale by the pound kilo.

Then back to the Golden Zone for lunch. I got to check one item off my To Do list – eat at Poncho’s. A mural on their outside wall.

All the tables right next to the beach were full – it was 12:00! So we ate inside. Had very good hamburgers – if they had had pickles they would have been perfect! And I had my Kahlua and cream after meal drink!

Just some pictures of the room where we ate. Very colorful. All kinds of tile work.

Had to take a picture of the apron. Notice the line “Neer fresh sea fud.” And the “Could beer and booze” Even Restoran is a misspell. The original owner wrote it out when he opened the restaurant and it has never been changed.

Out side parked on the street this pick up belonging to Lucky B’s – see the horse and rider? Great paint job.

Then on home for a bit. We keep getting more RVs here in the back with us. Glad we’re leaving soon.

Later we went out to check another item off my list. Sunset drinks on the roof of the Hotel Freeman. I made a grand entrance – tripped on the stairs and lost my balance. Didn’t get hurt except for my pride. I  think the waiter was glad when I ordered a coke. The view from our table.

Unfortunately we didn’t pick a nice sunset day. Too many clouds and lots of wind. Looking down at part of the town. Spectacular views all around.

That is about as pretty as it got.

Then we went to the Plazuela Machado for dinner at the Italian Restaurant on the corner –the Canobbio Casa. When we were here a couple of weeks ago we thought the restaurant had changed hands. But last time here we checked out the menu and discovered it was the same as last year. So glad – excellent Italian food. I even had a glass of wine with my dinner. Two drinks in one day - oh my!

After eating we walked around the plaza a little and discovered the man who does the spray can paintings was back. Watched him for a while.

Then strolled over to the gazebo to listen to a young group playing Beetles era music. They were very good.

Then home. Poor Bill he just got up - barely awake took a sip of tea and went back to bed. He says I snored all night keeping him awake. Gee it didn't bother me.  No plans for when we gets up. 

Another visit to El Quelite - the making of cheese

All kinds of things to write about this morning. We had another pretty sunrise yesterday. (I was going to add morning – but I guess that is a given seeings how I’m mentioning sunrise)

First we will be leaving here the 22^nd – next Thursday. We’ll be going to Aticama. Tentative plans after that are: Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Texas. But until we turn on to the highway anything can change.

Yesterday morning we pulled out of the RV park planning on going across the street to breakfast – instead we ended up in El Quelite for breakfast. The road going into town is almost finished. No detour to take – or miss.

The older man in this house has a business – he cooks pork skin every morning. Last year he only had one big black pot. I see this year he has two. Business must be picking up. And it looks like he has help now – as that sure isn’t him with the one pot.

We stopped to look in one of the shops and found they have really expanded – opening another section in the back patio. Neat upstairs.

How about the post holding up the roof. Why do something plain when you can do it amazing.

A king sized headboard all hand carved. I WANT ONE. If we took a little off the edges it might fit in the Alfa. Bill said NO. I wonder how much it weighs?

A door also hand carved wood – beautiful. Picture doesn’t do it justice. 14,500 pesos or about US$1,000.

Walking towards the restaurant this young man and his young horse went buy us. He had to hold him tight as the horse wanted to GO

The last time a couple of weeks ago when we were in El Quelite I wrote about the restaurant expanding across the wash. That room is almost ready now. Looking at it from the restaurant.

Inside the room. Right now the chickens and ducks are the only live things in it. Well except for me of course. 

The other side of the same room.

Back on the restaurant side a mama hen and her chicks. So cute.

The table where we sat to eat. We met four friends there so ate with them.

As always had a good breakfast – and I ate too much! Walking out of the restaurant we saw my friend the iguana up in the tree. I walked way around the tree.

From the restaurant we walked over to the cheese factory. Going into the factory. On the roof they raise fighting cocks. This is where the cheese they serve in the restaurant is made. 

Bill talking to one of the workers inside.

The plastic milk crates are lined with mesh. The ones on the left – the ones on the right are empty.

The cheese in the cloth – all the liquid is draining out into buckets.

The cheese is put into these mesh lined molds to age before selling.

Just one of the lovely homes in El Quelite – the fern is huge!

Stopped at the panaderia [bakery] this time.

The big butchers block table and in the background biscuit cutters. A mound of dough on the table. He uses a big clay oven to bake but uses propane not wood to heat it.

Some of the goodies.

As always a good time there. It was 86 degrees in El Quelite and when we got to the RV park it was only 77. Then we went into Centro to see about our cards…now they don’t think they can make them. Oh well – TIM – this is Mexico.

Spent the rest of the at home relaxing and trying to figure out the rest of this years trip. We had heard the campground we always stayed at in Guadalajara was closed so Bill called it – it is still open and has space.

No plans for today yet – except maybe going out for dinner tonight. The weather is warming up again and the sky is blue. 

And this mornings sunrise

I still have a lot of "things I want to do in Mazatlan this year" on my list - guess we'll be busy the next few days. 

Cosala visit to silver mine

Friday – the middle of January already – time flies. Yesterday was another gray and cool day – the third day in a row we didn’t need air conditioning. In fact even kept most of the windows closed. Stayed home all day – only left the RV to walk up front and download a couple of books. Got the third and final Garden of Allah series – Citizen Hollywood. I will miss the three main characters when I finish it.

We are debating on what to do in the next few weeks – our rent is up the 22^nd – should we stay here and be involved with Paquis, should we go south to Aticama to see our friends and then continue south to Guanajuato, or should we head north. Decisions, decisions. Diesel is almost 4 dollars a gallon here now and Guanajuato is over 600 miles away. But then we could go to Queretaro and go home through Texas. We are still waiting to hear from our friend at home, he had planned on coming down for a week but…hasn’t decided when yet.

Seeings how we did absolutely nothing to write about yesterday I’ll finish our trip to Cosala back on December 28^th – when we went out to the silver mine.  After our tour of the beautiful town our host Chiquis (Jesus), Paquis’ (Francesca) husband, took us out in the country to see the big silver mine. Streets get narrower as we leave town.

hum  who is going the wrong way?

Looks like it will be a nice ride but a little curvy – road is paved.

Well kind of – watch out for the drop off.

Crossing a river – what happened to the pavement?

Just an interest root system on a tree we passed. We were getting more and more into a forested area.

So much for pavement – hope we don’t meet any oncoming traffic. The entire road in will eventually be paved. 

He was acting a little aggressive – gave him a wide berth.

Going into an Ecologica area. Lots of trees, flowers and wildlife (except for the cow we didn’t see any)

Even less of a road. REALLY hope we don’t meet anyone. Lots of curves too. Going out we met some ATVs but they could scoot out of our way. 

We stopped at an area where the housing for the miners used to be – it was abandoned in the mid 1950s when the mine closed. At that time it was not worth the trouble to mine silver. 

How it used to look.

Across the river is the mine – Mina Nuestra Senora. It is now open and operating again. Bought by a Canadian company. With new technology and upswing in price of silver it worth reopening it. 

Looking across the river at it.

The little river. Very pretty and peaceful here. The water was crystal clear.

More river and vegetation. The hills were covered in trees. And there supposedly are green macaws all over but didn’t see one.

Again looking across at the mine. It was shift change for the dump trucks – new shift coming in. Glad we didn't meet any on the road! They go over three miles into the mountain to pick up the ore!

Looking at a piece of rock/ore – lots of silver in it. And some mica that looked like gold! I wish.

The dust hanging over the road the dump trucks used. – and part of the road we had to take out. Cough Cough.

Fellow traveler. No trouble passing him.

When we got back to town we returned to our hosts home. Just some pictures from their interior patio. Lots of Christmas decorations.

Dinner was being cooked and were expected to stay and eat. BBQribs, marinated grilled meat and grilled onions – yum. Back in my posting a ways I posted a picture of Bill actually eating the ribs with his fingers!

The dining table outside in the patio area.

Same area lit up at dusk.

Sitting around the firepots talking. Paquis, Roberto, Gloria – Roberto’s wife and his two children.

It was so pretty and peaceful there we hated to leave but we still had a 100 mile drive back to Mazatlan so the evening had to end. What a wonderful day it was. Such a beautiful town, area and home and friends.